Barry Bannan reckons Rangers squaring up to Sheffield Wednesday might be a pre-season encounter but it will be far from friendly.

The Owls midfielder was thrilled to hear the Ibrox men are heading to Hillsborough on Sunday as it will be the ideal curtain raiser for both clubs ahead of the new term.

But Bannan insisted the former Celtic contingent in the Wednesday dressing room – along with several Scotland stars – will make it more of a kicking match than a summer kickabout.

He has international pals Steven Fletcher, Jordan Rhodes, Liam Palmer and George Boyd for company in Sheffield – while former Celts Gary Hooper, Glen Loovens and Ross Wallace are Old Firm veterans.

Bannan is relishing the glamour showdown and said: “It might be a friendly but when you get to that stage you want games with a bit of an edge to them. The Rangers game will certainly have that and then some.

Former Hoops striker Gary Hooper now plies his trade with the Owls

“There are a few Scottish lads and some boys in the dressing room who have played in Old Firm games. They’ll know what it’s all about and I’m sure a few of them will be hated on the day by some of the Rangers fans.

“Sometimes you go into friendlies and they’re a bit quiet and a bit boring. There’s no chance of that in this game!

“Rangers will probably sell out their allocation – we’ve heard 10,000 are coming – and our fans will be out in numbers as well. It will be perfect preparation.”

Bannan kicked off pre-season with the Championship men two weeks ago but Rangers had to rip up their plans after their shock Euro exit to Luxembourg minnows Progres.

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Pedro Caixinha scrambled together a programme of bounce games – including yesterday's closed-doors clash with Watford as well as the drawn match with Marseille on Saturday – to get his men up to speed for the Premiership opener against Motherwell on Sunday, August 6.

Bannan said: “It was a bit of a shock to see Rangers go out of Europe. They didn’t have many friendlies arranged as they were probably banking on being in the Europa League. It will be a big game for them because they start their season the following week and will have to be ready.

“They’ve made a lot of new signings and everyone will be fighting for places. It should be really competitive.

“When the manager told us we’d be playing Rangers it was one we were looking forward to right away. It’s towards the end of pre-season and at a time when the manager will be looking to put his team together.

“It’s right at the business end so no doubt we’ll play a strong team and so will they.

“Pre-season games are about building fitness but you also want matches to test you. It doesn’t come much bigger than a game against Rangers. By that stage you are looking to win games and they will be no different.”

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Caixinha is still trying to find his feet at Ibrox after a frantic first few months in charge. The Portuguese boss is already battling doubters following the Europa League shocker on the back of last season’s unconvincing end to the campaign which included a 5-1 home hammering at the hands of Celtic.

He has brought in nine new players and had less than a month to get them gelled but Bannan has an idea of what the Gers squad will face.

His boss Carlos Carvalhal is a pal of Pedro’s and the schemer has seen similarities in the way the fellow countrymen operate.

Caixinha knows Owls boss Carlos Carvahal from his time back in Portugal (Image: REUTERS)

Bannan said: “I know the manager here and the Rangers manager are friends and from the same coaching background. I can’t speak for Caixinha but our gaffer has been brilliant.

“I know players always say it because they play for a guy week in, week out but, honestly, he’s probably the best manager I’ve worked under. I’ve never had a foreign manager until I came here and it’s so different to the way the British bosses operate.

“He sets us up every week and we know exactly how our opponents are going to play, in every detail. It really helps you going into the games. I think we’ve seen how well it’s worked in the last few years as we have hit the bar a couple of times for promotion.

“From what I’ve heard Caixinha has similar ideas. They all came through the same coaching schools. The Portuguese managers like to play and train in a certain way.

“It can be a bit different to what the British lads are used to but if you buy into it you can get the rewards.”

Barry Bannan is hopeful of forcing his way back into the Scotland set-up (Image: REUTERS)

Bannan is looking to impress against Rangers and hit the ground running in the new campaign. Getting the Owls out of the Championship is the first aim after painful play-off defeats in the past two seasons but he has also set his sights on Scotland.

The 27-year-old wasn’t involved in the Slovenia win in March or the England draw last month but he’s determined to get the season off to a flier and fire himself into the frame for the crunch game against Lithuania and then Malta in the autumn.

He said: “The England game felt like a loss the way it worked out at the end but the main thing is we are still in there fighting.

“We have a couple of huge games coming up and it’s a case of never say die, that was the message in the dressing room afterwards.

“I’ll just concentrate on my club football and try to force my way into the Scotland team.”